Blyth AFC bring in Curtis Coppen

Blyth AFC have completed the signing of defender Curtis Coppen from Morpeth Town.
The 23-year-old, who came through the academy structure at Newcastle, joined Morpeth last summer after taking part in Jamie Vardy's V9 Academy.
Coppen went on to become a regular feature in Morpeth's back line last season, making 33 appearances as the Highwaymen raced to promotion from the Northern League Division One.
The defender has previously worked with Blyth's joint manager Jon McDonald when the pair were at North Shields during the 2016-17 season.
Speaking to the club's official website, McDonald said, “The addition of Curtis is another significant signing for the club. In my opinion, he's the best young centre-half in the Northern League. I want to go on record and thank Morpeth Town, in particular Nicky Gray and Ken Beattie, for their co-operation in allowing us to get a deal completed.
“Curtis reads the game well, is excellent in the air and also technically very good. He can also operate in midfield whenever he's called upon. He's a good age and we hope he can develop further at Blyth AFC.
“I also want to thank our chairman, Barry Elliott, for supporting us with this signing. Overall, we are very pleased with our recruitment over the summer and we aim to be very competitive in all competitions next season.”
He continued: “We've worked hard to get the players, that we wanted, into the club. Our focus is now on working hard in pre-season and starting the season in the best possible shape.”